Sins of the Father (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful twist on a story that's as old as the ages-conflict and competition between siblings-with scandal and suspense added to the mix. An entertaining, enjoyable novel that deserves to be on every bestseller's list." (Victoria Christopher Murray, bestselling author of Too Little, Too Late )

"[Benson's] themes will resound with many readers and her portrayal of a newly reformed, albeit occasionally backsliding, sinner is masterful." (Booklist )

Product Description

God asked the biblical Abraham to sacrifice his son. But Abraham Martin's only god is money.

Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years—driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience—Abraham is determined to do the right thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into the light...and into the family fold.

But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband's indiscretions. Isaac, the heir, shaken by his father's revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham's forgotten daughter, Deborah, is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her, his son, Michael, cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he's driven by only one desire: revenge!

Angela Benson's Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided—a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, of love.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Avon A (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061468525
• ISBN-13: 978-0061468520
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #106,633 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What We Deserve, August 27, 2009

By	Jennifer Coissiere (Georgia) - See all my reviews

When Angela Benson put on her blog the cover of Sins of the Father, and asked her readers to guess what the book is about based on the cover and the title, I obviously had no clue. My guess was of a child paying for coming in contact with the things her father did before and having to deal with it in order to overcome an issue of her own. I was partially right, but mostly wrong. It does not matter because I truly enjoyed the book anyway.

I remember hearing a saying that parents should watch what they say or do because their children or future grandchildren would be the ones to pay for their mistakes. In Sins of the Father, everyone involved paid for the mistakes made by Abraham Martin, the father, thirty years before. Abraham had three children, but he openly acknowledged only the son he had with his wife, Saralyn. When Abraham tries to make things right, and bring together Michael and Deborah, the children he ignored, with Isaac, the son he raised proudly, he gets more than what he hoped for. Would any of his children ever forgive him for his past mistakes? Can they come together as one big dysfunctional family? Or will he lose all he had and ever wanted?

Benson developed characters that I could easily see myself coming in contact with on a daily basis. I could envision myself as Isaac (yes, I know he is a male and I am not). He reminds me of myself and how I think. The emotions of all the characters are believable. I will admit I did not like the way the book ended, but I understand it. Benson's ending was more realistic and a better one unlike my fairytale dream of an ending. I know Benson writes in the Christian-fiction genre, but Sins of the Father did not read like a Christian-fiction book. It read more like contemporary fiction with a hint of religion. There was no over abundance of preaching that tends to bore some readers. With the good plot and the well-developed characters, I recommend Sins of the Father to readers who enjoy contemporary and Christian fiction.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sons Must Pay, August 26, 2009

By	Dera R Williams (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When Abraham Martin decides to acknowledge the outside children he fathered 30 years ago, he did not foresee how it would irrevocably affect the lives of his loved ones. Although his wife, Saralyn, forgave him, she is not making it easy for him and their son, Isaac, left the family business, MEEG, the empire Abraham built that would he was to inherit. Now Abraham's wealth is to be divided three ways, to include his other son, Michael and his daughter, Deborah. Angela Benson explores the truth and consequences of one man's choices in Sins of the Father.

Now that Abraham has publicly acknowledged Michael and Deborah, their mother, Leah, is determined that Abraham does right by them, in every aspect of his life. Deborah, although still hurt from being abandoned by her father, is more amenable to him and she and Abraham begin to build a relationship. He gives her a production company to run but Michael wants no part of Abraham's olive branch or his money--- or so he says. Michael's bitterness consumes him to the point his marriage to Josette suffers and his qevery thought is of revenge. How far will he go to make Abraham pay?

Abraham knows he has been less than perfect and just when he tries to right his world, everything around him seems to falling apart; his wife is gives him an ultimatum, he is estranged from one son and the other one does not want to have anything to do with him. A tragic accident has Abraham rethinking his life and the choices he has made. Meanwhile, Isaac is also having marital problems with Rebecca when the six degrees of separation hits close to home. Deborah finds herself attracted to Abraham's attorney and right hand man, Alan Weems, a man old enough to be her father. And it appears Leah has secrets of her own.

Angela Benson has written a story with a soap opera vibe and enough suspense and surprises to keep one turning the pages to see where it will all end. She has taken a departure from her past Christian novels, in fact, I would not categorize this story as Christian fiction, it has more of a contemporary fiction feel. There were only subtle references to religion but it did not get past me the biblical references in the analogy of the concept of the theme and the biblical names of the characters. In the Bible, Abraham is married to Sarah, has a son name Isaac and has another son with another woman. The names Leah, Rebecca and Deborah are also in the Bible. There were a couple of storylines that were left dangling, but all in all, I would recommend as an entertaining summer read and pleasing addition to Benson fan's libraries.

Dera R. Williams
APOOO BookClub

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can Two Families Bond Without A Shared History?, August 25, 2009

By	Lisa Diane "The Rapturous Reader" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

Abraham Martin has made some excellent business choices, and as a result, he is a successful media mogul; however, 30 years ago he made personal decisions that have come back to haunt him.

Now he wants to acknowledge his second family, and create an atmosphere of one big happy family.
As he tries to right his wrong, not everyone is happy about his "do the right thing" campaign.

A medical emergency calls on members of both families to come together to save one. When tempers explode, lies of omission are revealed, and resentment rears it's ugly head, Abraham closes his eyes and leans back in his chair. "Sins of the father," he murmured. "What have I done to my children?"

I knew this novel was a winner after the first twenty five pages! Angela Benson weaves a fabulous tale of faith, family, redemption and forgiveness. This is inspirational fiction at its best!